1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for producing [2-(arylsulfonyl)ethenyl]benzene derivatives, which are useful as intermediates to pharmaceuticals, agricultural chemicals or the like.
2. Description of Related Art
It has been known that certain [2-(Arylsulfonyl)ethenyl]benzene derivatives have been produced from aryl vinyl sulfones (e.g., Japanese Patent Publication Kohyo No. H5-507288 (1993)). The aryl vinyl sulfones such as phenyl vinyl sulfones have been known as an irritant and have been isolated as a solid compound from a reaction mixture and charged into a reactor in a solid form. Such handling is inevitably accompanied by scattering of aryl vinyl sulfone dusts, laborious solid material handling and hence exposure of workers to the undesirable working environment in terms of safety and health (The Sigma-Aldrich Library of Chemical Safety Data, 2808 (1988) and Chemtech, Novvember, 34 (1996)).